This Wearable Counts Calories for You From the Comfort of Your Ear

There are more options than ever if you're in the market for a wearable fitness tracker that will encourage you to get off the couch and get active. But what if you really enjoy the sofa? For those who want to get healthy minus all the physical fitness, researchers at the University of Alabama are working on a wearable device that instead helps track your diet and what you eat.

Worn over the ear like a hearing aid, the Automatic Ingenstion Monitor, or AIM for short, uses a camera to capture images of food that are then analysed to determine what is being consumed, how much, and from that how many calories are being ingested. The AIM also has a vibration sensor to detect movements from the jaw when chewing, which also helps is extrapolate how much food is being consumed.

A lack of physical activity does contribute to obesity, but the basic reason a human gains weight is because they're consuming more energy than they're using. So the AIM would work alongside a more traditional fitness tracker to help ensure that the wearer was properly balancing their food intake with physical activity.

It would still mean there's going to be some sacrifice when it comes to getting in shape, but instead of having to jog for six hours to burn off a large meal, the tracker could suggest smaller portions to cut down on the amount of fitness required. [University of Alabama via Gizmag]